Hard lead alloy



UNITED STATES- I THOMAS F. WETTSTEIN, 0F KEOKUK, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED LEAD COMPANY;

PATENT OFFICE.

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

HARD LEAD ALLOY.

No Drawing. Application filed October 2, 1918, Serial No. 256,504. Renewed May 28, 1920. Serial No.

T rary and Temple U. S. Patent 1,158,672,

granted November 2, 1917, and more particularly in lead alloys containing barium as the principal hardening element. The invention consists in the method of making such alloys as herein disclosed and in the several products of such method-as herein explained, all of which are bearing metals of superior properties useful for all the pmposesfor which more costly alloys have been heretofore considered indispensable. I

The method consists briefly in subjecting metallic lead in pure or commercial form, a bari salt or salts such as barium-chlorid anda calcium salt or salts such as calciumchlorid to the heating and electrolytic action of an electric arc whereby the metals of the salts are fused and electrolytically combined and alloyed with the lead and the other components of the salts are liberated as waste products or gases. These materials are thus electrolytically treated in such proportions as to yield a product alloy containing from 97% to 99.25% of lead and 3% to .75% of barium and calcium together,,the amount of calcium being always less than the barium, as presently explained. The presence of such an amount of calcium in the process facilitates the combination of the lead and barium which is the principal harden ng agent and thereby reduces the consumption 0 electric energy with a correspondmg saving in the cost of production, besides WhlCh such portion of calcium as is taken up by the lead and barium is believed to contribute something to the desirable qualitles of the products although larger percentages of calcium are objectionable and add nothing to the quality. To produce the results above indicated I have found that the amount of barium should in any event be more than 1% times the amount of calcium and not more than eight times such amount, the hardness of the product being directly proportional Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

to the barium content. The preferred per centage of barium is exactly twice the amount of calcium, thecalcium and barium togetherfconstituting from two to three per cent. of the whole according to the degree of hardness desired. It will be understood by metallurgists that inasmuch as thereis twice as much barium in barium chlorid as there is calcium in calcium chlorid, the addition of equal amountsxof these chlorids will result in carrying over into the lead twice as much barium as calcium and that there must also be some excess of molten chlorids in the electrolytic furnace to serve as the electrolyte and enable the process to be continued to a conclusion. As an example from actual practice, 120 pounds of the chlorids are added to say 4,000 pounds of lead in the furnace and the electrolytic treatment is maintained for some 48 hours, more or less, resulting in a product alloy containing .90%' barium, .45% calcium and the balance lead.

Manufacture of the said alloy is further cheapened by the addition to the other salts of a small amount of sodium chlorid which lowers the fusing point still further but does not necessarily contribute any appreciable sodium in redient to the product. Small amounts 0% sodium and other metals, however, may be added to the alloy if desired for special purposes and sodium may in fact be used in the manufacture to the exclusion of the calcium salt with an equivalent effect upon the alloying action, but the use of sodium in this relation is not claimed herein w except in combination with calcium.

The lead-barium-calcium alloy made as above describedinay be poured repeatedly and at different temperatures without materially altering the natural or initial.hardness or otherwise impairing its utility and durability for bearing metal purposes and also without producing excessive waste by dross.

Claims.

1. A hard lead alloy comprising lead,

to .75 per cent. barium and calcium, the amount of barium being substantially twice the amount of calcium.

3. The method of making a hard lead alloy containing lead and barium which consists in fusing a main percentage of. metallic lead and a barium salt and electrolytically alloying the same in the presence of calcium.

4:. The method of making a hard lead alloy containing lead and barium which consists in fusing a main percentage of metallic lead and barium salts and electrolytically alloying the barium with the lead in the presence of calcium and sodium.

In testimony whereof I have signed this 15 specification in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS F. WETTSTEIN.

Witnesses:

V. H. PLENGE, F. W. KIRCHNER. 

